Oren [On Hold][EDITING]

Chapter 12: Aftermath

Author's Note

Please be aware that some of the content in this book is adult material and may be sensitive to some readers. Enjoy, comment, vote!

A pan whizzed by Kelpie's blunt blue nose, and smashed into the wash basin, spilling over dishwater caked with the day's gruel. He cursed and pounded a fat fist into the dough he had been kneading. Evie was the thrower, her father's shift stiff from the sea finally and stained a plethora of colors under the torchlight of the kitchen. She didn't care how indecent she looked; she had flashed many of The Hollow Rovers carelessly as she stormed onto the ship, kicking over crates full of pickled fairy wings and barrels that were stood upright with Oren chess. A few almost had a mind to scold her, until they saw her stern eyes and clenched jaw.

Evie grabbed a handful of knives that were scattered about the countertop and she began throwing them one by one towards the space above the stove where the kitchen crew had carved their names; the names of the dead ones had been scratched out over the years. Kelpie liked to keep record of all who serviced him in that kitchen, so that everyone could be wary of who was preparing their food. A knife twirled through the air and jabbed itself deep into the carving that read Myles.

"What in blazes are ye doing in my kitchen?" Kelpie ordered. He ducked as another knife flew past him and wedges into the same name. Enigma and Nebula were standing in the open frame of the swinging doors with blank expressions. Evie tossed a knife up in her own hand and caught it by the blade, drawing it back to her ear, and then launching it across the room. It sprung into the wood and wiggled mockingly there. Evie stomped across the kitchen with the final blade and stabbed the wall, digging out flecks of splinters where the 's' once was. The wood crunched underneath the cool steel as she twisted, sending chips to the floor.

"Lady Knox," Nebula called, her arms crossing. Her velvety voice echoed in Evie's ears but she refused to turn around. I'm not a lady. I hate her when she calls me that. She swiveled on her heel toward the group and gave them each a scowl. She pulled her father's shift over her head and tossed it into the fire. The action distracted her from being angry, but she remembered she was angry with her father as well.

Nebula gasped and Durward blushed but did not look away from her face as she stood naked as he name day. Kelpie's eyes widened at Evie's lack of modesty and he swiftly averted them. "Girly!" he gargled, covering his face in a panic. "Put yer clothes back on! He shouldn't be waltzing around like that!"

"Lady Knox, put something on," Nebula pleaded. Evie tensed at the title once more and looked around in a fret. She pulled another pan off the hanging cookware chandelier and threw that one as well.

It breezes by a turned about Kelpie and he jumped. "Oy! Stop it! I got those from Larbleck at the port some twenty years ago!"

"Evie," Captain Enigma chimed in carefully.

"He never gets to step food on this ship again! Never!" she shouted, knocking over a tall vase of slimy caramelized Wendigo fingers. It crashed to the floor and the fingers glided across the wood by their feet. "If I ever see him again, I'll... I'll..."

Enigma shrugged out of his coat, and heeded the girl with caution. "Calm down," he ordered.

She took a step back from him at first, ready to flee the lecture she knew was about to come from his lips. But instead, he held out the coat and wrapped her in it, tying the arms solidly around her waist to hold it in place. She had never realized how large he was until now with his admiral's jacket hanging loosely from her. If he had been a full man, women would be throwing themselves at him even more than they were now.